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What happens when sacred and secular power collide?
By Joelle Rollo-Koster
The pope has repeatedly called for peace in the Middle East since the start of the Iran war, insisting that “God does not bless any conflict” and warning against the “delusion of omnipotence.”
On 12 April, in a lengthy social media post, Trump derided Leo as “WEAK on Crime, and terrible for Foreign Policy,” telling him to “focus on being a Great Pope, not a Politician.” His Truth Social account posted, then deleted, a Christ-like image of Trump appearing to heal a man.
At stake in this public feud is an old question: can a religious leader challenge political power, especially a ruler of one of the most powerful countries in the world?
"For many people, Trump’s rant against the pope was shocking. But conflicts between popes and rulers are not an aberration; they’re a durable feature of Western history."
Joelle Rollo-Koster
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